From thinking Krishna of having a questionable character to becoming His devotee: Bhaktivinoda Thakur’s journey
By Khonika Gope-Kumar
“By 10 o'clock the night was very dark and cloudy. Across the Ganges, in a northern direction, I suddenly saw a large building flooded with golden light. I asked Kamala if he could see the building and he said that he could. But my friend Kerani Babu could see nothing. I was amazed. What could it be? In the morning I went back to the roof and looked carefully back across the Ganges. I saw that in the place where I had seen the building was a stand of palm trees. Inquiring about this area I was told that it was the remains of Lakshman Sen's fort at Ballaldighi.” Taking this as a clue, Thakur Bhaktivinoda conducted an investigation of the site by consulting old maps matched against scriptural and verbal accounts. He concluded that the village of Ballaldighi was formerly known as Mayapur, and later Miyapur. He confirmed Mayapur from Bhakti Ratnakara as the birth site of Mahaprabhu.